Police chief search

Mayor Jenny Durkan kicked off the search for a candidate to replace former Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole who resigned from her position effective Dec. 31. Deputy Chief Carmen Best assumed the role of Interim Chief on Jan. 1.

The group’s mission is to gather community input and screen applicants in order to find a new police chief who can hold the public’s confidence and continue reform work that O’Toole had shepherded in the wake of the finding by the Department of Justice that the Seattle Police Department had a history of excessive use of force and potentially racial bias in policing.

City officials formally requested that Judge James Robart lift the consent decree, which has been in place since 2012, at the end of 2017.

Ashley Archibald is a Staff Reporter covering local government, policy and equity. Have a story idea? She can be can reached at ashleya (at) realchangenews (dot) org. Twitter @AshleyA_RC